Laser systems for optical applications, for instance projection applications, and also for laser pump sources for coupling into optical fibers require a high brilliance, that is to say a high power and a high beam quality. The latter is given by the so-called beam parameter product, that is to say the product of the beam waist radius and the divergence angle of the light emitted by the laser. Furthermore, for material processing applications and for pump lasers for solid-state lasers, for instance, it may be desirable to use lasers having a high power in conjunction with a small emission area.